Afraid of the Lies
by InsaneAniMae
Summary: Christoph/Curtis worries that his lies will cause him to lose a friend and the girl he loves. Can he continue to protect his lies or will he give in and tell Mei the truth? Livecastershipping!
1. Chapter 1

**InsaneAniMae: ;A; Hello to anyone who reads my horrid story.. I'm a huge fan of this shipping and it saddens me to see hardly any fics, and I got the brilliant idea to handwrite one myself in A.P Government. It's awful, yes, and I'd absolutely love to get some reviews and advice on writing better. Originally this was going to be a short, one chapter story but the ideas keep coming so I intend on continuing it! Sorry that it's so short as well, I do plan on have longer chapters! Please enjoy and thank you! If you have any questions feel free to PM and ask. **

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The door opened to the cosily decorated breakroom that normally occupied by the celebrity idols known as Christoph and Nancy. Christoph handed off a warm cup of coffee to his co-worker, sitting down on the comfortable couch. He sat down with his own cup, taking a sip.

**"**Sooo, are you excited about the big celebration tonight? We get to talk with so many interesting people! Really, it's the biggest thing in Unova for a while now, not including all the Team Plasma issues. All the Gym Leaders, the Elite Four, the former Champion, and the new one will be there! I even heard Cynthia from Sinnoh might make a brief appearance." Nancy tried to start off a conversation with him.

Christoph sighed, drinking more of his coffee. "I guess it's nice and all but I'm just a little worried. You do remember me telling you about a girl..?"**"**You mentioned her at least fifty times I think." Nancy replied teasingly with a wide grin. "The mysterious brunette that saved your butt by finding your Xtransceiver."**"**Anyways, would like to take a guess at who that girl is?" Christoph asked glumly.

The pink-haired girl stared at him with a rather confused expression. "Is this a trick question or something?"He shook his head in response. "I suppose I was assuming it was an easy answer but it's Mei Black, the new champion of Unova." He slumped over, closing his eyes.

Nancy shrugged, giving him a sympathetic look. "You know, you could always tell her the truth rather than continue to keep it a secret. One day she'll figure it out by herself and resent the fact you never told her yourself."**"**It just get worried if I tell her, will she look at me differently? If I tell her the truth will she resent me then?" His green hair fell in front of his face to cover his eyes as he open them. "I really do want to tell her but I'm being a coward about it."

**"**You shouldn't think about it so negatively Christoph. If she was really your friend she'd accept you now matter what." She said to comfort him. "But if you don't want to I can be the one that talks with her. It's given that you have to be there though."

Christoph swished his hair out of his face and gave her a small smile. "Thank you. Guess I need to use more hair gel, huh?"**"**I'd say so. I'll admit the scruffy look isn't so bad though, it's actually a good look for you. If that girl hasn't fallen for you yet, she will eventually." Nancy laughed as she pulled out her own hair from the hair tie.

**"**Going for a different style tonight?" Christoph's face began turning a deep red as he attempted to change the subject.

**"**Very good, switching the subject. The answer is yes. My stylist wanted to keep my hair a bit more natural looking and not dye it tonight. He said the only thing he's doing is curling it a bit." she answered. "What about you?"**"**Same as usual."

**"**Simple and familiar."He opened his mouth to reply when his Xtransceiver began to ring. "Oh, there's signal in here.." Christoph glanced at the screen, the name Mei flashing across the screen. His face flushed a little more. "Uh, I'll be right back."

**"**Oooh, good luck."

Christoph muttered something unintelligible under his breath as he pulled a hat over his hair and pulled his arms through a jacket quickly. He answered before the ringing ended, his face lighting up at the sight of Mei's face. As usual his face was a rosy color when he talked to her.

**"**Hey, glad you called! How are.. Something wrong?" He paused when he saw a panicked look on her face which made him worry as well.

**"**Well, um, could I ask you for some advice Curtis?" Her voice sounded quiet and nervous about something.

Christoph quietly begged Arceus it wasn't dating advice. "Of course!"

Mei's face softened with relief. "Really? Oh thank you so much! You've heard about that celebration tonight, right? I'm not sure I really want to go to be honest. I have issues with huge crowds and talking in front of them." her face grew red with embarrassment. "I was hoping you might have advice for that; Being in front of crowds in mean." Her cerulean eyes were shining with hope that he'd have any tips.

He sighed with his own relief. "This is definitely something I can give advice for! The thing that first pops into mind is focus on one thing at a time. If someone is talking to you, give them your full attention and pretend it's just the two of you having a conversation." He continued on with a few more pointers.

Mei nodded, actually writing a few things down on a piece of paper. Her head snapped back up and her usual smile appearing. "I really appreciate it Curtis."

**"**How many times have you given me advice? It's about time the favor was returned. If you ever need anything else to, you can always ask me..." Christoph's cheeks were flushing a more prominent red now.

**"**I'm glad to hear that." She shifted slightly, the ceiling of her room showing for a moment, then her face returned. "I just realised this is the longest conversation we've had in awhile."

**"**Is it? Huh, well it's nice to have a conversation like this. We should meet up sometime soon." He glanced at the time above her face. "Actually, do you have time today? I have to be somewhere later but I have a couple hours to spare."

Mei nodded enthusiastically. "I have.." she checked the time as well. "If I hurry up I'll have a couple hours myself."

**"**Great! Meet at the Ferris Wheel as usual!"**"**Of course! Be there as soon as possible." The call ended with a loud beep.**"**Curtis? You gave her an alias?" Nancy called out towards him with an amused expression on her face.

Christoph rolled his eyes as he opened the break room's door calling out before he slammed the door.. "Whatever you say, Yancy."


	2. Chapter 2

**InsaneAniMae: Just wanted to post the second chapter today. I probably will post the third next week sometime, since I'll have a fairly busy schedule the rest of the week. I hope it tolerable, my writing is definitely not the best in the world. I hope every has a pleasant week, and I appreciate reviews! Thank you! Also I'd like to thank delcatty546 and CherryWolfie for being my first two reviewers! :3 It is entirely appreciated!**

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_"Mommy, I'm really not feeling very good.." A petite brunette stared up at her mother with a pale face and dark circles under her eyes. Her arms were hanging loosely at her sides as she leaned against the wall. "Maybe I could stay home today?"_

_Emiko looked down at her daughter with a puzzled expression, placing her hand on little Mei's forehead. It had a normal temperature to her so she shook her head. "It's just nervous jitters honey. Maybe you should go lie down too, you look really tired too. I'll finish up your costume and let you try it on before we head out."_

_Mei sulkily scrapped her feet against the floor as she moved towards her room. She face planted onto her bed making a loud groaning noise. She was smart enough to know that she was seven and shouldn't be acting so childish, but she was truly frightened about having to standing in front of a lot of people in some strange play her class was doing._

_About an hour or so later her door cracked open and her mother's head peeked in. "Sweetheart, groaning like that isn't a very big for a seven year old to be complaining about taking naps." she pulled in a large, yellow suit with a beak. "Well c'mere and try it on."_

_Mei stared at her new Psyduck costume with a mixture of disbelief and annoyance. She had been really hoping to have been any sort of grass type, mainly Snivy. Every other student got to pick out theirs except for her. She got the one nobody really cared for._

_"Okay, stay still and I'll help you into it." Emiko helped her into the bulky costume, stepping back and squealing with joy when she saw her daughter dressed up as a Psyduck. "Sweetie you look sooo cute! Where the heck is my camera, I need to take pictures. This will make for amazing Christmas cards."_

_The small brunette stared after her mother with a bit of irritation. Everyone would tease her about this for a while, especially Hugh. For the boy that was her best friend he certainly was a bit mean sometimes.. But always really over-protective too._

_"Say Snivy!" her mother was holding up a camera._

_"Uh, Snivy.." She began blinking rapidly as the flash blinded her. She watched as little dots danced across her line of vision._

_Emiko checked the time on her wrist watch. "Oh dear! We better get going now before we're late for practice. If we don't leave now Hugh will be late as well!" she grabbed her keys from the kitchen counter quickly as Mei waddled towards the front door. She managed to get it open and waited for her mom to lock the door._

_The school was within walking distance so she was forced to waddle through the streets as everyone giggled and pointed at her. A bright red color burned against her cheeks while she tried hiding her face with the beak._

_She could only see her mother's feet as they walked and when they stopped in front of a house she barely managed to avoid falling into Emiko. Mei looked up to see that they made it to Hugh's home. The older woman knocked loudly on the door, calling out. "Lauren? It's Emiko, you there?"_

_A blue-haired boy answered the door, looking up at Emiko and complete avoiding eyes contact with Mei. His lips were pressed together like he was trying not laugh. "Hey Ms. Black. Mom's busy with Anna right now, you can probably hear her.." a baby's faint screams could be heard from the upper floor. "Yup, she's a loud baby. She said to leave when you came over."_

_"Alright, let's go then!"_

_Thee three began walking with an awkward silence that was drowned out by a loud ringing noise. Emiko answered her mobile phone quickly to talk with a co worker._

_Hugh slowly drifted closer to Mei's side, the spikes of his Qwilfish costume poking hers. The Pokemon he was matching both his hair and personality perfectly. He stared at her with a thoughtful expression, red-brown eyes watching her move._

_Mei's feeling of uneasiness returned as they continued walking. As the school came into sight she started getting dizzy._

_"Psyduck's not looking too cool." Hugh commented quietly._

_She shook her head. "Shut up.."_

_"Hey, I wasn't trying to be meaning. You just look kinda sick. The big yellow look is fine, but I was talking about you. You're my best friend so I have to make sure you're doing okay. Don't puke or anything, okay?" the bluenette crossed him arms._

_"Sorry guys! I really need to head to Nimbasa City for work, they called in an emergency for work. I'll be back as soon as your performance starts, I promise!" Emiko kissed her daughter's cheek and hugged both the kids before running off holding a Pokeball._

_"Your mom.. She's kinda cool and stuff." Hugh's face was a little red._

_"If you have a crush on my mommy, I'll tease you about it for the rest of your life." Mei mumbled to him._

_His face got even redder. "What are you talking about? Let's just go now." He grabbed her by the arm and tugged her into the school they had been standing outside of._

_At least twenty other students were standing out in the hall dressed as their Pokemon and chattering excitedly about the play. The teacher spotted them and immediately called Hugh and Mei over._

_After a few minutes of settling down and organizing all the children they began practicing their lines. Most of the children seemed to well enough and were happy to take part. They had been divided into several different types; fire, grass, water, ice, electric, ground, psychic, and ghosts._

_The water section practised together, a section made up of four children, Mei, Hugh, Scarlett, and Jonathan. Jonathan clung to Mei's side with a blush on his face, his glasses constantly falling off his face because his Oshawott costume mask. He looked just as nervous as he did and took it upon himself to stay by her side and attempt to say his lines._

_The teacher called for everyone again and started lining them up to march inside the auditorium. The students went in the completely filled room and onto the stage. Mei looked faintly into the crowd not seeing her mother anywhere._

_They started out with a welcome speech, thanking everyone for visiting. The grass types scampered onto the frontlines, beginning the play with a speech all their own. Mei's dizziness only increased as the fire types began. She watched as her vision darkened and it became hard for her to breath._

_Someone nudged her side. "Are you okay?"_

_A loud thud sounded throughout the room as the girl in the Psyduck costume passed out in front of parents, grandparents, and other children._

Christoph choked on his lemonade, holding back some laughter. "Oh, I'm for laughing. You just really don't seem like the type of person that would pass out in front of a crowd of people. I mean, you've been in movies right?"

"Well yes, but it's different from that. You can make mistakes without looking like a complete fool. They just smile at you and say try again if you mess up. It's not live in front of a bunch of people you grew up with and know well. And you get to decide your own lines too." Mei chugged her water down.

They were sitting on a bench across from the Ferris Wheel. They had ridden it already and Mei had begun her story at the top of it. It was a chillier day than expected and the cold drinks were slightly less refreshing than they had hoped.

"Let's ride again!" Mei tugged at his arm excitedly. "Once more before we have to go and worry about our lives. We can watch the horizon and the people get smaller and smaller. All the little things I love doing with you." She smiled widely at her friend. "Please Curtis."

Christoph had already planned on saying yes but the pleading expression on her face encouraged him to move a little faster. "Of course. Whatever you ask, m'lady." He did a dorky little bow to her, winking. He was truly happy to be with her, even though he'd be watching her from afar later. It seemed a bit stalker-ish but he was still worried.

She took him by the hand, catching him a little off guard. A blush spread across his face. He wondered if she ever noticed this. Everytime he saw her the love in his heart grew a little more. He always wanted to tell her that as well, but his job got in the way it too. Maybe he was being a coward.

"Are you okay? You seem a little distracted." Mei sat across from him on the cart.

"Oh, I'm fine really. I'm just a bit distracted is all. Just know that I'm glad both of us can find the time to be together. I'm really glad you found my Xtransceiver, not just some random person. All the times you've been willing to listen to me complain and give me advice.. I'm truly grateful to know such a wonderful person like you can be there for me. I want you to know that if you ever need anything just ask and I'll be there right away to help you." Christoph scratched his green hair nervously. He took a deep breath, ready to tell her all his feelings. "Also I want to say that I l-"

A sudden blaring noise went off. "Please exit the Ferris Wheel as soon as your cart reaches the bottom. There have been some technical difficulties. Please remain seated until your cart has reached the ground. Thank you."

"Um, sorry, I didn't catch what you had said."

Christoph shook his head. This was probably a sign telling him it was too soon. "No, don't worry about it know. I'll tell you some other time." Hopefully.

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**InsaneAniMae**

**Okay, just thought I'd say a few things at the end. **

**1) Emiko is the name of Mei's mother. Her name means "smiling child." I pictured her as a very cheerful and childish sort of adult and her personality being rather influential on Mei's. I wasn't sure if Hugh's family had names already, so I used ones that seemed original (kind of.)**

**2) Psyduck.. Very ordinary seeming to others but something truly extraordinary on the inside. :U It was something I kind thought of, but I dunno.**

**3) Qwilfish Hugh lololol IT WAS PERFECT, OKAY? XD**

**4) Christoph won't be admitting his feeling anytime soon.. Or will he? ;) **

**5) I hope this seemed long than the last chapter.**


	3. Chapter 3

**InsaneAniMae: Hello! I promised it would be next before I posted another chapter, so it's next week :U Please enjoy, review if you want, feedback is always welcome. Of course I'll be updating as much as possible so look forward to that!**

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As their cart moved slowly towards the ground, Mei stared questioningly at 'Curtis.' Part of her felt extremely guilty for not hearing what he had tried to tell her. Now he was looking a bit annoyed and sulky about something. His expression was rather awkward and uncomfortable now.

"Really, if it's something important Curtis, you can just tell me.. It looks like it's really bothering you." She quietly ended her sentence, seeing a distracted look on his face.

The cart reached the ground before he decided to give her answer. "I promise I'll tell you some other time. I really don't think now is the appropriate time." His responding smile was breath-taking, catching her off guard. He got off the Ferris Wheel first, holding his hand out to her. His face deepened with a blush as she willingly took it. "I wonder what's wrong with the ride."

Mei nodded in agreement. "Me too."

"I'm very sorry everyone, some of the controls were acting finicky, so the ride will be shut down for an inspection. It will be open within four or five hour, please wait until then. The problem will be fixed as soon as possible, I assure you." A highly stressed out worker was explaining to an interested crowd.

There were a couple people muttering angrily under their breaths and other shouting out their complaints. A couple security guards appeared to gain control before anything got out of hand.

"Well that escalated quickly." Mei muttered under her breath. A warm hand wrapped around her hand caught her attention and made her blush noticeable. Her stomach was actually rising a bit and she looked away when he turned to reply.

"You're not even joking! At least it ended quickly though. It's surprising how strangely people can act but humans aren't perfect, right?" Christoph chuckled and looked back her. His good mood was back and he was wondering what was up with her now. "Are _you_ alright?"

Mei jumped a little, giving him a nervous laugh. "I'm perfectly fine. Maybe the whole thing caught me off guard. It's certainly turning out to be an eventful day and it's not even close to ending." She looked him in face shyly. "Well is there anything you want to do?" An alarm blared from her Xtransceiver before he even got the chance to answer. She sighed in defeat, rolling her eyes. "Actually never mind. It would seem I have a hairstylist to visit."

"That's not a problem. I think I should head back to work anyways. You want to meet here tomorrow maybe? If you're not too tired from all the partying I mean." Christoph glanced casually at his own clock.

Mei nodded enthusiastically reluctantly released his hand. "Of course, I'll always have plenty of time for you whether or not I'm tired." She planted a quick kiss on his cheek and bolted away before he could see the color spreading across her face.

Christoph's own face was beet red as she took off. He hoped selfishly that it was a good sign that she did that or he wondered if she was just being friendly towards him because their meet up had to end so abruptly. Either way made him happy in different ways.

Mei sighed in frustration as she sat on her living room couch, making sure her hair stayed in place. She hated dressing up like this but what she hated even more was how strongly she felt about Curtis. It made her feel cowardly.

In third grade she boldly told her crush Jonathan her feelings and now, as a teenager, it felt different. When they first met face-to-face, she thought Curtis was very sweet and timid. She hadn't pictured herself falling for him so easily. But he was so kind to her and always willing to take time out of his day to see her. Sometimes it made her feel guilty, that he could be doing something more important, but she was a selfish human being and she was happy to see him.

Emiko was giving her strange looks from the other side of the room and she shook her head at her mother. She stood up, smiling and slide across the kitchen floor to her mother's side.

"So, how did that date go?" Nancy gently toyed with her newly done hair, twisting her fingers through her curls. Her lavender eyes looked at him hungrily for information.

Christoph sighed. "First off it's not a date and secondly why do you want to know so badly?"

"Ahem, while were are competitive with work and many other things, that still doesn't mean I don't care about what's going on with your life. We are friends and I kind of find your relationship funny. It's almost the first one you've had in a really long time." Nancy said with a measure of amusement.

"Beg my pardon I'm not very good with girls…" Christoph stuck his tongue out. "Should I point out your current boyfriend is the only one you've had a good while."

Nancy looked away in embarrassment and stuck her own tongue out in response. "Beg my pardon I'm not so good with guys." Her tone was mocking his from before. "Like I was saying before I'm only interested because we've been friends for a really long time and you can come to me for advice."

"I'll keep that in mind."

"By the way Andrew was looking for you and he didn't sound pleased in the least bit. You should probably go find him before he drags you into a chair and does something crazy to your head." She leaned against the wall, shooing him away.

The green haired boy grimaced "He is never pleased Nance. Half the time he looks tempted to chop off all my hair but then all the fangirls wouldn't be very happy."

"No would be happy. He'd buzzed all off and it would be hard talking to you for a while."

"You know, I'm going to leave before something like that happens, see you later!" He scurried out the room.

Nancy giggled a little and tried to keep the image of a bald Christoph out of her head. A beeping noise from her Xtransceiver came out of no where and she quickly looked at the name. Kyouhei White. A smile widened across her face as she answered her boyfriend.

Christoph stepped out of the limo with both Nancy and Kyouhei. The couple was ignoring the huge crowd and adoring sighs, focused on only each other. He had to admit he was a little jealous of them, their relationship was so public. They could hold hands without being bothered by everyone wanting to get involved.

Castelia City couldn't be busier than tonight. The streets were full as people were waving to the crowds and entering the Gym.

"Christoph, can I have an autograph?" A blonde waved to him. He smiled in response moving towards her. "It's certainly not a problem miss. He signed Christoph with flourish, bowing and moving back to his company's side.

"Are you two excited about meeting so many people?" Nancy was swinging Kyouhei's arm around as they walked.

"It's really cool thinking about it. Meeting Ingo and Emmet in the Battle Subway was an honor enough. Never thought I'd even see the Elite Four up close." Kyouhei responded and messed with his hair he had straightened.

Nancy giggled a little. "A fanboy's fantasy." She teased him.

"Hey now, that's not funny to make fun." Kyouhei pulled her into his side.

Christoph sighed in annoyance. "Let's focus on the job, okay Nancy? I know you enjoy being with your boyfriend, but I prefer not getting chewed out by the manager. Last time he fired Andrew and you wonder why he's cranky.."

Nancy flicked Christoph's ear as they walked into the Gym. "Don't nag me. Behave and talk with people. Avoid those you want to avoid. As long as you're happy, alright. So smile while you're here or everyone's going to know something's wrong."

He opened his mouth so respond when he saw a familiar face but it was so different from before. A tall brunette with her hair tied up into a twisted bun stood five feet away. Her cerulean eyes sparkled with excitement as she twirled around the room talking with other. Deep inside them he could see the fear but she walked boldly, keeping her head held high.

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**A little Xtransceivershipping for you? C: I kind of pictured Nancy and Christoph as childhood friends/rivals with the goal of being famous. And Kyouhei happily goes along with Nancy's dreams since he wants her to be happy. I picture them in a very cute relationship x3 I'll be a little more descriptive with Mei in the next chapter, especially since I'll be describing her entire team xD I already have two Pokemon down, her starter and another person gave me an idea. So if anyone else has any ideas, go ahead and tell me! :D I hope you enjoyed.**


	4. Chapter 4

**InsaneAniMae: *Sobs over-dramatically* Sorry I haven't updated lately. Like a teenager I am, I get into trouble.. :U It involved not taking part in 4th hour and indulging myself in enjoying an extended lunch hour. I skipped class 3 times in one week, which doesn't look good on Powerschool. ANYWAYS. I'll hopefully be posting a more interesting chapter later tonight. Sorry if this seems rushed and uninteresting.. I was a bit desperate to post something and let you guys know I haven't abandoned this ^^**

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Mei flinched at the bright flash that appeared seemingly out of nowhere. As usual a flashing circle followed her where she looked. "Sorry miss. Do you mind us getting some pictures of your team?" "Of course not." She touched the necklace she was wearing and found the clip. Six tiny Pokeballs hung from the chain and she called a Pokemon out of each. The first was a Serperior who wrapped part of itself around her feet and snuggled up to her. The second was Delcatty that looked around the room with a critical expression. Haxorus next, puffing up its chest and eying everyone cautiously. Braviary stretched out its wings, nestling against Mei. Medicham and Simipour came out together, looking around curiously.

Blade (Serperior)

Ability: Overgrow

Nature:Gentle

Moves:

Giga Drain

Leaf Storm

Strength

Toxic

Mary (Delcatty)

Ability: Cute Charm

Nature: Sassy

Moves:

Return

Heal Bell

Wake-up Slap

Faint Attack

Spike (Haxorus)

Ability: Mold Breaker

Nature: Hardy

Moves:

Dragon Dance

Dual Chop

Taunt

Assurance

Freedom (Braviary)

Ability: Sheer Force

Nature: Brave

Moves:

Skydrop

Superpower

Scaryface

Fly

Luci (Medicham)

Ability: Telepathy

Nature: Jolly

Moves:

Hi Jump Kick

Ice Punch

Psychic

Double Team

Tiara (Simipour)

Ability: Torrent

Nature: Timid

Moves:

Scald

Ice Beam

Surf

Work Up

This was displayed across a large screen, along with the pictures the photographer had just taken. Another profile with her own information popped up as well.

Name: Mei Black

Date of Birth: 3:27am June 2nd

Parents: Isiah Black, Emiko Black

Birth Region: Castelia City, Unova

Current Age: 16

Height: 5'4''

Weight: 119lbs

She shook her head, wondering why exactly they needed so much information. Even her weight and height.. She blushed a little returning her Pokemon and the necklace back to where they were.

"Hey, excuse me? You're Mei, right?" A polite and melodic voice asked. Mei turned around to see a pink-haired girl about her age. "Sorry for bothering you but I was hoping you'd be willing for an interview. We can go somewhere private where nobody's going listen. Kyouhei won't say a word to anyone."

"Kyou..hei?" Mei blinked as a familiar face appeared from behind a camera.

The brunette boy grinned at her. "Hey Visor Subway buddy. Nice to see you, been awhile huh? Figured you might like it better if someone you knew was there. Nancy won't bite, I promise. Since we're friends I hope you trust my word. She's a good girl."

"Well I'm your girlfriend not a pet you freak. I swear I won't bite Mei. You can trust me. This isn't a live recording either. We'll wait until all our late arrivals are settled and work on some editing. So don't worry if you stutter, you can always give it another go." Nancy's smile was encouraging and friendly as she held out her hand. "C'mon, we can sneaky in case some decides to follow us."

Mei stared at the other girl a second then smiled. "Alright, sounds great. I probably would've said yes anyways but thank you." She took her hand and followed her to another room. It was comfortable looking and Nancy plopped herself on a couch. She pat the spot next to her and Mei sat. Kyouhei sat across from them and aimed the camera.

"Can I take a minute to say something? If you're the one the got him to dress up, congratulations. He definitely doesn't look so scruffy." Mei laughed.

"Hehe, I think scruffy or not he's pretty cute. But we can't let his ego get any bigger!" Nancy grinned at her boyfriend. "So, tell me how you met your Pokemon."

"Alright. Blade was my first Pokemon ever. Belle, Professor Juniper's assistant, let me choose him and I'm glad I did. Like all my Pokemon are, he's a wonderful partner and friend. I enjoyed raising him from a Snivy into a Serperior. It's truly amazing to see how Blade has grown. I guess a weird explanation is like watching a child grow up.

"Freedom was caught not long after I received Blade. I think was pure luck finding him.. I was so proud to catch him, myself and Blade. Freedom was very dashing and put a wonderful fight. I think that was the first time both of them were shining brightly. Afterwords it changed so much. Mary was caught in Castelia City Garden. She had such the attitude when we met." Mei was giggling while Nancy listened with fascination. "She kicked dirt in Freedom's face. They still don't get along very well but I'm pretty sure they understand that we're a family and we rely on each other."

Mei took a deep breath and let her mind catch up with her mouth. She had been babbling quite a bit of nonsense. "Spike was a surprise to me. I found him in Mistralton Cave and I accidently stepped on him. I don't think he was pleased but he didn't complain. Instead he was very willing to battle and gave Blade the run for his money. Spike evolved during the battle and was even greater challenge! I was so happy when I caught him. He might not have been at the time but I hope he's happy now.

"And I finally found Lucky and Tiara in Pinwheel forest. I think they've been together a long time before. Luci is very protective of Tiara, less so now that she's evolved. But they still act like mother and daughter. Luci's the jolly mother of a grown Pokemon that's still a bit afraid of the world.." Mei trailed off and looked thoughtful.

Nancy smiled. "As that how you feel? Like you're still afraid of the world?"

"Yes, I feel that way a lot. The time I've spent on my adventure has gone by but I still feel like a child. Sometimes I wished I was at home watching TV with my mom. My journey has given me a lot to be thankful for though. I'm learning what its like to grow up." Mei answered with a weak smile.

"Well.. We can thank you team for helping you grow. Thank you so much for talking with me." Nancy looked over at Kyouhei who was turning off the camera. "Well, I really want to thank you for talking with me. You looked a little nervous at first. Sorry if I scared you at first."

Mei shrugged. "It's fine. I don't like being the center of attention really. I fainted once and it ruined my on stage experience."

Nancy giggled a little. "Everyone is afraid of something. Beards and mustaches creep me out."

"Huh? They do?" Kyouhei rubbed his chin a little. "Ah, that explains why you get all freaked out when your dad hugs you."

Mei and Kyouhei laughed as Nancy covered her face in embarrassment. "Gah, you guys are so mean."

Kyouhei hopped onto the couch and pulled her onto his lap. "Aw, you know you love me. I'm sorry for teasing you but it's not everyday someone admits they're afraid of beards. That has to be the weirdest thing I've heard all day."

"Yeah, yeah.."

"Excuse me?" A blonde girl poked her head inside the room. "Miss Black, Iris has been looking for you. If you're not busy.."

"Oh! I don't mind. These two need some privacy anyways." She smiled to the couple sitting on the couch. Both of them blushed. "See you later I hope. It was really fun meeting you Nancy."

"Same here! I hope we can talk again as well!"

"Later weirdo!"

The door closed and opened again as Christoph stumbled into the room. "I didn't realize you knew Mei." He sat on a chair.

"Did I forget to mention that? Sorry dude. You look a bit tired." Kyouhei commented.

"I was chasing Iris around awhile but she was too busy trying to find someone. I finally found her with the former Striation City leaders. I just need to catch my breath." Christoph stared at them. "Well, seems like you're comfortable."

"I guess so. You might want to hop to Iris soon. You might have lost your only chance to catch her." Nancy said. She was imply more to Mei but he had no clue.

"Ugh, right. Well make sure you get that camera to the editors." The green-haired boy got to his feet and left the room.

Kyouhei and Nancy shared a look. Nancy's was a little worried and Kyouhei's was amused. "Wonder how this will go." He wondered out loud.

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**InsaneAniMae: Teehee. Nancy and Kyouhei being sneaky there, huh? :3**

**I was also wondering if anyone would be interested in writing a story with me. PM if you are interested and I can give more details!**


	5. Chapter 5

**InsaneAniMae: I said there'd be another Chapter and here ya go.. I think I might go to sleep noooow~ Maybe.. Attempting sleepy times unless Tumblr distracts me xD**

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_Gosh darn heels_. Mei grumbled. _And I lost the blonde girl.. Maybe Iris will pop out of nowhere and save me._

As soon as she thought this Iris was buy her side shouting in her ear. "Finally! I've been wanting to introduce you to some people! They're friends of mine, I thought it would be nice of you to meet them. They used to be Gym Leaders and stuff." She grabbed Mei's arm and tugged her through the crowd.

_Boy, is she every impatient.._ Mei chuckled as Iris shoved some people out of the way. "Sorry! Excuse us." Her face slammed into someone's back. "Erk, I'm so sorry." She looked up to see three very well dressed men smiling at her. The one she slammed into had blue hair and gentle blue eyes.

"It's not a problem. Iris really wanted you to meet us it would seem." He looked at her with some amusement. "She's said an awful lot about you. She thinks you have a lot of potential. Oh, I'm Cress by the way." Cress bowed politely to her.

"Are you hogging all the attention? I want to say hi. Yeesh, at least let Cilan and I have a chance." A wild haired red-head exclaimed. He pushed his bother out of the way and did a bow himself. "Hey, I'm Chili! The fiery hot connoisseur!"

"Chili, you can't say Cress is being a hog, look at you." A quieter voice said. Mei assumed he was Cilan. He looked a bit nervous and Iris was practically clinging to his side. "Nice to meet you Mei." He bowed as well and smiled. "Maybe you've heard of us? We used to be the Striaton City Gym Leaders but we decided to work on being better connoisseurs and trainers. So obviously we're not in that business anymore. We still battle with trainers though."

"Hey! How about a battle right now?" Chili suggested excitedly. "I call Mei! I really want to team up with her."

Cilan and Cress exchanged a look and Cress sighed. "Only if Mei agrees and we can find a big enough space to battle." Cilan only shrugged not seeming to care either way.

"Uhh.. Sure, that sounds fun." Mei sounded uncertain and Cilan shot her a sympathetic look.

"Awesome! Iris, can we let everyone know what's going on? We can clear the floor and get to battling." Chili did a fist pump.

Iris nodded. "Sure, I can find Burg and get him to make an announcement. Yay! I'm excited too now." She lifted up her dress and ran off to find Burg. Chili tailed after her with Cress and Cilan not far behind.

"Crap, I can't believe I missed her again. I'm not willing to chase her down again."

Mei whipped around to see the celebrity idol Christoph standing there. He looked distracted an annoyed. For some reason her heart was thudding when she saw him. Strange, she never found hime that attractive on TV. Maybe it was different seeing someone in real life. Or maybe her heart was thudding because she'd be stuck battling in front of a bunch of people in the Gym and on TV.

Christoph finally looked at her, his expression rather shocked. "Uh, s-sorry. I didn't notice you were there." He was mentally slapping himself for not noticing the most beautiful girl he had ever seen and who had been trying to avoid. She was much taller than 5'4'' in her heels and had a nicely fitting black and red dress. His face turned a little pink and her looked away from her body and straight in the eyes. "I must seem so rude to you. Are you okay? You're not looking too well." He watched her shaky face and her eyes were showing some panic.

"I'm fine!" She squeaked then cleared her throat. "I think I need to sit down." Her eyes met his and she stared awhile. "Have we met before? You just.. You just seem very familiar."

Christoph coughed a laugh that sounded rather uncomfortable. "I don't think so. I suppose I get that a lot. Maybe you've seen me on TV a lot or met someone that looks a lot like me? Um, well, I do have to run now. Very busy. Nice meeting and talking with you!"

Mei stared confoundedly after he took off into the crowd. She wondered if she might of accidentally said something stupid and offended him. She jumped in surprise when someone tapped on her shoulder. She turned her head to see Cress watching her.

"Burg is about to make an announcement." He informed her. "Are you feeling well? You look a little pale and surprised."

"I'm fine. Just caught off guard by the conversation I had with someone. So, let's get started I guess." She shrugged everything off. She ran through the advice Curtis had given her. Mei decided to act like it was a normal battle and pretend that only Chili, Cress, Cilan, and herself were involved.

A loud static noise blared. "Oh, sorry for that! I just wanted to ask that people do us the kindness by leaving a fair amount of room for a battle. Our new Champion Mei has decided to team up with Chili and face off against Cress and Cilan. So I repeat, we'd like you to make room for a Pokemon battle. Thanks."

"Mei! Over here!" Chili waved her over and she clacked over in her heels. "We're standing over here. Cilan and Cress are over there." He pointed to the two that had already taken their places. She was surprised to find how quickly people had made room for them.

"Alright, three Pokemon each. Go Heatmor!" Chili called out the fire-type. It cried out and looked as determined as its trainer. Cress called out Basculin and Cilan Maractus.

"Go!" Mei called out Mary. The Delcatty looked around, pleased with the crowd that was watching. She purred happily at her trainer then began shooting her foes threatening looks. Sassy and dangerous.

"Ladies first." Chili smiled.

"Faint Attack!" Mary aimed the attack at Basculin and managed to hit it. Cress returned the attack with Ice Beam.

Chili smirked as the water Pokemon was distracted and he attacked Maractus. Heatmor attacked using Focus Blast. Cilan used Poison Jab in return.

Mary managed to knock out Basculin with Wake-up Slap and was attacked by Cilan afterwords. Mary struggled to stand and collapsed unconscious. Mei returned her to her Pokeball praising her on a job well done. Maractus fainted by Heatmor's Fire Blast.

Mei sent out Luci next, the Medicham bowing to the crowd. Cress sent out Slowking and Cilan Ferrothorn.

Blade was face-to-face with Simisage as the monkey Pokemon had it's teeth clamped around his tail. Angrily Blade smashed the Simisage into the ground and attacked with Toxic. Mei smiled as the attack greatly weakened their enemy. Cilan asked his Pokemon to use Work Up which built up some defense and attack.

"Strength!" Mei shouted. Blade puffed up and charged towards Simisage with all his might. The two slammed into each other, both knocked onto the ground.

Everyone leaned forward anxiously to see which Pokemon would get up. Chili nudged his partner excitedly. Blade slowly got up, looking triumphantly at everyone. He slithered towards Mei and let himself bump into her. Mei wrapped her arms around the Pokemon and told him what a good job he did.

"Rest up buddy, you deserve it." She returned him to his Pokeball.

The crowd was shouting with excitement, congratulating Chili and Mei on their victory. Chili gave a her a high five and attempted to lift and spin her, her shoes fell off in the process. As she was putting them back on Cress and Cilan walked over.

"Great job. Iris wasn't kidding when she said you were and excellent trainer. This was a fun experience." Cress shook her hand.

"That was pretty fun. We should do this again sometime, with different partners of course." Cilan said with a smile. "Not that I have any problem with Cress."

"No, I agree. It would be fun partnering up with Mei." Cress responded.

"Aw, stealing the good partner now." Chili complained.

Cress sighed. "You can't claim her all to yourself. Well Mei, we'll leave now so you don't have to listen to the sibling squabbles." The three of them bowed again.

Mei had a grin on her face. She was actually proud she didn't faint in front of all these people. She would really have to thank Curtis when she got the chance.

Now that she was thinking about him, she realised who Christoph reminded her of. They both had the same awkward dorkiness.. The same green hair and green eyes. Her jaw dropped as she had a sudden epiphany. She remembered one day she called Curtis someone else answered. He had claimed later on it was someone from work. That someone from work looked an awful lot like Curtis and Christoph.

No wonder he had seemed so freaked out when they were talking earlier. He wanted to keep it a secret from her for some reason. Mei tried to find some rational reason for this but she couldn't. She was shocked and stung that he had been lying to her for months. The room was spinning when she looked around.

Mei stumbled across the room and found some empty seats to herself. She stared wordlessly at the floor. Maybe she was over-thinking this and she was wrong. Curtis, er Christoph, no Curtis wouldn't lie to her. She looked up, trying to see if the idol was hanging around but he was nowhere to be seen.

She then looked at her wrist. Her pink Xtransceiver was turned off. She button, the light on the little piece of technology blinking. She hit contacts and scrolled down. Curtis always had trouble getting signal when he worked. A phone call would prove whether or not she was right.

His name appeared on the screen. Curtis was available. Taking a deep breath she hit call and waited.

From the distance a ringing noise could be heard. She snapped her head up and meet the panicky green eyes of Christoph.

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**InsaneAniMae: I think someone might be in some deep sh*t, huh? I want to say thank you to Stinkfly for giving me the idea for Mary, AshAndMay4Ever for Luci, and Ni Mats for Freedom and Spike x3 I forgot to say this in the last Chapter, thank you for the brilliant ideas! **


	6. Chapter 6

**InsaneAniMae: _Ugh, I wanted to post this on Monday and have something for Christmas yesterday but Monday I was feeling crappy and yesterday was busy. So sorry about that. At first this seemed rushed so I went back and added some things. As I'm typing this I realise I'll probably go over it again and add more. This is not the last Chapter, I want to add some more to it. A couple will probably be cheesy dates and stuff, fun, fun! I'll figure more out later but the next Chapter will definitely be Holiday themed! 3 I hope you enjoy this and please do review! Hope your Holiday was pleasant._**

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Mei had a tight grip on Christoph's arm as she dragged him away from the crowd. He looked completely off guard by what just happened. She was silent as she pulled him into the room she had been interviewed in. She mouth kept opening and closing like a Magikarp out of water. Christoph open his mouth to say something but she immediately shushed him.

She paced around the room thoughtfully and mumbling under her breath. She took a deep breath and looked at Christoph. Her mouth did the Magikarp thing again before she finally decided to say something.

"Is there any good reaction to this? Pardon my vulgarity but I'm pissed beyond belief." She started sniffing."Why am I crying now? I just.. I just.. Did you think I would tell people? You don't trust me? Were you thinking I was ignorant enough not to notice?" She was trying to muffle her sobbing but only got frustrated as the tears rolled down her face. She glared at her friend and waited for answer. "I'll listen, I promise. I'm more rational than most girls." The only thing she hated was the crying that wasn't stopping.

"Of course you're not ignorant.. Everything I've said to you, about how wonderful and intelligent, you think those were lies? No, I was afraid you'd act like how you are now. I.. I'm sorry." He leaned against the couch in defeat. "Such an idiot."

The two were quiet for a long time, other than Mei's hiccuping that slowly faded away. She looked around the room for something to wipe her face up with. Christoph held out a couple tissues to her. She wondered if he had been expecting something like this but she took them anyways.

Mei blew her nose with one and wiping her tears with the other. "You are the biggest, most frustrating moron I've ever met." She said agreeing with his earlier statement. "But I'm not mad actually, just a little hurt. I guess I can understand some reasons why you wouldn't say anything. I acted childishly."

"You reacted much better than I thought.. I was almost afraid you might hate me and never want to see me again." Christoph admitted. "I was so afraid of that the entire time. I was also worried that you would only see me as a famous idol instead of your friend. When I think about that too, it make me feel horrible." He was worried he sound whiny but her expression said otherwise.

"You're such a dork. It's impossible for me to hate you, I'm too.." Mei paused a moment, hearing something. It sounded like bickering outside the door. Someone shushed and it grew quiet. "Hmm.." She pressed a finger to her lips and pointed to the door. She somehow managed to move towards it quietly in the heels and pressed her against it. She could hear at least two people breathing. She back away and nodded to him.

Christoph sighed and quietly followed her over to the door. He looked back at Mei, who nodded. He threw the door open and three people fell in. Kyouhei, Nancy, and Iris tumbled over each other. The three of them scrambled to their feet. Kyouhei and Nancy settled themselves on the couch again and kept poker faces.

"Those two were spying and I was telling them to stop." Iris held her arms up in the air. "I had nothing to do with." She gulped nervously.

"She was eavesdropping.. We saw you drag Christoph away and we got worried. I was worried you might kill him. I have to make sure he gets to work almost unscathed. He at least has to walk.. Nah, he can be a cripple." Nancy shrugged. Christoph gave her an accusing look. She grinned a teasing and traitorous smile.

"Don't let her lie either. She just wanted to see if you'd kiss and make-up. This is all kind of funny to me, even though I'd feel kind of bad that you guys split up." Kyouhei explained.

Mei sighed and pointed something out. "We're not even dating, we can't split up."

"What!? This is news to me, these two made it sound like you were dating already! Seriously what are you waiting for? Well I guess teenage girls are something to be worried about, they're crazy!" Iris began a long lecture. "But you kids should be careful. I don't think any of your parents would be happy to become grandparents so soon. It's all about having a safe relationship with your boyfriend or girlfriend."

"How did we to the topic of babies?" Kyouhei sounded rather confused.

"I don't.. even know." Mei shook her head at Iris. "No one is having babies, alright?"

Iris nodded and bounced over to them. "So you made up, right? Friends again? Please tell us you did!"

Mei and Christoph shared a look and a smile. He grabbed Mei and pulled her into his chest, only blushing a little. "Yeah, I promise we did. Hopefully she's not still made at me."

"I told you I'm not!" She pulled away from but stayed in his arms. "Uh to be honest, I'm not sure if we're friends or something else." _Hopefully.._ "But you know, I think we should get back to the party." She said quickly and pulled herself completely from Christoph. Her face was red as she stomped out the door and mumbled under her breath.

Iris followed after her, saying something that faded out as she left the room. Nancy grabbed Kyouhei's hand and gave Christoph a look. She attempted to take boyfriend from the room but Kyouhei stopped to say something to his friend.

"Hopefully you can guess what she was implying. Probably want to do something formal for her. She seems more like the type that wants to be asked out rather than have a sudden mutual relationship pop up." Kyouhei grinned. "Be creative dude." He went along with Nancy.

Christoph was left to himself.

Mei was sitting on a chair with a cup of soda, guzzling it down. Her mother told her doing that with caffeine was never good but it was the only drink around. Besides her throat was dry from all the half-yelling she did at Christoph. She sighed and wondered if that's what she should call him now. She still wrapping her head around the entire ordeal.

She heavily hinted at wanting a relationship but Christoph was a dork. Or maybe that was just Curtis that was a dork. Mei rubbed her forehead, feeling a tiny migraine coming along. Probably stress induced and her own fault.

She got up and mingled with some people. Roxie insisted on playing a song for her and jammed out on her guitar. Afterwords she let Mei hold the instrument and mess with the strings a little.

Elesa caught her later to show her a new Pokemon she received from Sinnoh. A Luxray sat next to her and stared adoringly at its trainer. Mei pet the Luxray and made a new friend in the process. She chatted with the Gym Leader a few minutes before moving onto Skyla.

Skyla introduced her to a friend that apparently was a good pilot. She listened to them talk about Flying Pokemon before sneaking away and bumping into Cheren and Belle.

The blonde was excitedly chatting with her childhood before hugging Mei. "Hey there! I don't think I ever congratulated you for becoming champion." She whistled. "The last time one of my friends became Champion.. That was a while ago actually." Belle looked distracted and Cheren coughed to catch her attention. "Oh, right, anyways! I remember when you started out, heehee! Fourteen years old and such a determined look. And two years later, look at you now. How far you've gone! All that training is worth it in the end I suppose." She probably would have continued talking if Cheren hadn''t started.

"Yes, congratulations Mei. When I first faced you, I could tell you would become a great trainer. I'm not just saying that either. I hope you learned a lot on your journey." Cheren grabbed Belle's hand and waved. "Sorry to leave so soon but I was, um, hoping to spend some more time with Belle so.." His face was a little red and his words were awkward sounding. Belle's face lit up like it was Christmas.

Mei laughed and gave them approving looks. "Run away, with your young love." She made the shooing gesture and watched them leave enviously. She looked around the room and didn't see anymore familiar faces. She wasn't in the mood for meeting for meeting new people, she was socially awkward around random people anyways.

She sat down on the floor and threw off her heels. She could already see an annoying blister forming on the back of her feet.

"Hey everyone! We have footage of an interview between Mei and Nancy taken a couple hours ago. The recording is going to start in a few minutes so please quiet down as we prepare for this." Burgh's voice said through a microphone.

Mei smiled as she watched herself answer the questions. They even kept the part with her commenting on Kyouhei's appearance. She was surprised when she realised they only had to record her once. She never made a mistake when she knew she was allowed to make them. It was kind of backwards and irritating.

When the interview was over they went onto more. Every Gym Leader was interviewed, same with the Elite Four. Iris' was very brief since she ran off in the middle of it. Everyone in the room was chuckling and watching her with admiration.

Her entire body froze when Christoph's face appeared on the big screen next. He looked awkward and a little nervous and she knew this was a live recording.

"I'd like to apologise for interupting Iris' lovely interview but I had something I wanted to say and it's important. I'm too afraid to do this is person but for some reason this is fine.. Sort of." He took a deep breath and his green eyes looked seriously into the camera. "For a few months now I've kept a secret from Mei Black and she finally confronted me on it. Now I have regrets for not telling her the truth but I have more regrets for not telling her my true feelings.

"Mei I wanted to tell you for the longest time that I think you're the greatest girl I've ever met. Cute, funny, talented, but best of all the kindest person I've ever met. I think there's better words to describe but truthfully you leave me speechless. I know when it comes down to it, I'm kind of a dork. When I think about all the times we've been together at our special place and my attempts at flirting.." He face was a nice rose color. "I hope that you want to be my girlfriend as much as I want to be your boyfriend."

Mei gaped wordlessly at the screen. Tears were starting to run down her face as she stood up. A lot of people started clapping and yelling happily. Others looked around the room for Mei. She scooted to a corner and scanned the room for Christoph.

"Hey pretty lady." Christoph tapped on her shoulder. She jumped in surprise then attacked him.

"I wanna leave. Let's go to Rondez-View."

He looked a little surprised by the request but nodded and smiled. "We can sneak out."

She returned the smile with a devious one of her own. "Sounds fun."

Mei squeezed herself into the seat of the Ferris Wheel. She could see why only two people came on at a time, she could barely fit herself next Christoph. He was watching her with some amusing, trying to shift around and make room for her. As soon as they both were comfortable he grabbed her hand and they watched the snow fall to the ground.

The Ferris Wheel was slowly rising to the ground, as if it were some miracle that ride was lasting longer than usual. Mei put her head on his shoulder and sighed contentedly. "I wonder if what a bad thing to run off from the party, your manager might be mad."

"I think Nancy was proud enough of me, she might be willing to say I wasn't feeling good. If not I'll try and use that as an excuse. If I get fire or suspended I can just spend more time with you." Christoph sounded like he didn't care.

"You should stick with your job. I'm glad you want to be with me but it's still pretty important." She reminded him carefully.

"I guess so."

Mei made a funny snorting noise at him, causing him to smirk at her. "You never actually said whether or not you wanted to be my girlfriend." He reminded her casually.

"I didn't?" She inquired innocently. "Hmm, guess I'll have to think about it a little more."

"Gah, you say I'm frustrating."

"You are." She shifted so she was looking him in the eyes. Her lips were pressed together as she leaned forward and pushed them against his. At first he was caught off guard but happily returned it with a little more enthusiasm. She broke off the kiss laughing at his bewildered expression. "Does that answer your question?" She asked before kissing him again.


	7. Chapter 7

**InsaneAniMae**: _Hi everyone! Happy New Year to anyone who's in 2013 already. I still have about an hour and a half, so I'm still waiting x3 Tomorrow I'll try to post a small Chapter for the New Year, so please look forward to that. I was also hoping to start on something else tonight so I'll probably be posting that later. It's going to be a story/ask thingy I guess. To better explain; It's an ask Curtis and Mei! But each time I post a new Chapter, I'll write a mini story to go along with an ask. I hope people will be interested in something like that, I was kind of excited about it when I thought it up ^^ The intro will be up in a little while! 3 Anyhoo, here ya are with a bit of a cheesy Chapter :U _

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Their kiss broke off because they were both starting to get dizzy. Mei's blue eyes were sparkling with happiness and the exhilaration of their second kiss. "Sorry, my head is spinning now and I'm speechless in a good way." Her voice sounded a little breathless. Her eyes moved towards the outside of their cart and she frowned. "The ride is almost over."

Christoph looked as well, seeing that they were getting closer to the ground. "It's not all bad, I could walk you home. We have to mix it up a little and hang out in other places." He pointed out with a smile. "Although I can honestly say this was the best Ferris Wheel ride of my life... Wait, no, I take that back. One tops it off."

"Huh?"

"Our first ride together was the best."

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Mei's teeth chattered as she walked through the cold. "Y-you d-didn't have to c-come with me, it's p-pretty ch-chilly." She stuttered to Christoph. His face was red from being nipped at by the cold and he smiled at her cheerfully. He ran after her when she realised they were out of cocoa at the house.

"I would feel bad for letting you run off by yourself. Besides, you ran out without gloves or a scarf." He handed the gloves to her and wrapped the scarf warmly around her neck. "Better?"

Mei rubbed her hands together and sighed as she slowly started warming up. "Yes, thank you!" The annoying stuttering had stopped. "I wonder where my mom ran off to. She really wanted to meet you today. Maybe she got an important phone call, she has been talking about a big job interview lately." She looked around thoughtfully. "Oh here!" She pushed the open the door of the convenience store. The heat was running and it felt nice.

"Hey there Mei! Weather's picking up, isn't it?" The store owner asked cheerfully. They had known each other since Mei was a little girl. "Oh, is this your new boyfriend? Emiko mentioned him a couple times."

Christoph blushed. "Yes ma'am. I'm Christoph, though we've only been dating a couple weeks. Her mother talks about us that much?" He watched as Mei wandered off into the store.

"Oh yes! Emiko's always talking about Mei, so of course she's been talking about you." She smiled when Mei came back with a container or cocoa, a huge bag of marshmallows, and some popcorn. "Gah, you really are a couple, aren't you?"

Both the teens blushed and Mei pulled out some money. "Really, that's so embarrassing, everyone does that." She was actually smiling as she was handed her bag and change. "Thank you."

"Oh sweetie, your mom stopped by earlier. She said you'd probably come by and she wanted me to tell you to behave and she'll be home soon."

"Huh? Okay, well thank you again. See you soon!" She grabbed Christoph's hand and pulled him out. "Things spread really fast in a place you've lived your entire life. My mom probably told everyone about us." Her smile was amused. "She can be such a child sometimes, it's kind of funny."

"She's sounds really cool though." Christoph had been looking forward to meeting Emiko Black. "I hope she doesn't immediately hate more anything."

Mei chuckled and squeezed his hand. "Not likely, she's not the type to hate someone the first time she's meets someone. Unless they're downright the rudest person she's met. You're one of the politest people I know, so everything should be perfect. But I guess I'm still a little nervous no matter what. You're the first boyfriend I've had in a while. I don't think third grade actually counts.."

Christoph coughed back a laugh. "I was told fifth grade doesn't count by Nancy, so I'm pretty sure third or fourth won't count. First and second definitely not."

"Fifth grade?"

"Hmm, just a girl named Gina. Funny little blonde girl that always talked about being a comedian. We used to talk a lot, but I haven't talked with her in a long time, I wonder how her career set off." Christoph wondered thoughtfully. Fifth grade was a very long time ago and really relationships didn't actually count then. Most kids didn't even know where babies came from.

"You sound kind of defensive about that. Don't worry, I know better than to get jealous over something that was so long ago." She had a wide smile on her face. "And you should look up on her sometime soon. I try and talk to Hugh everyday." They finally made it back to Mei's home. She quickly unlocked the door and they escaped from the cold weather. She walked into the kitchen to warm up some milk. Usually she combined the cocoa with water but why not something different today.

Christoph frowned a little as he took off his coat. "Your spiky-haired friend? Qwilfish guy?"

"I hear some jealousy there!" Mei teased from the kitchen.

"I'm.. Not really."

She plopped a bag of popcorn in the microwave and peered out at him. "To be honest, he's more like a brother to me than anything else. Loyal, trusty, and annoyingly protective." She went back to the milk that was now warm enough. She poured some into a couple mugs and mixed the cocoa in. She daintily dropped a couple marshmallows in each cup. The microwave was done popping and she dumped the contents into a bowl. Juggling everything she set it all on the coffee table in the living room and fell into the couch.

While she was flipping through TV channels Christoph joined her and they settled on Rudolph the Red-Nosed Stantler. Christmas time meant a lot of Christmas classics. They both munched on popcorn and watched. Mei cuddled herself comfortably into her boyfriend.

"How are your brother and sister doing?" She asked as Rudolph's nose began to glow in front of his entire class.

"They're excited about Christmas and it's driving my mom up the wall. She has to shoo them away from the tree ever five minutes so they don't get into them. Both of them are old enough to know better but they can't seem to help it." The teen was grinning from ear to ear. "Did I tell you about the grass Pokemon Rylan and I caught together? He was really excited when he threw the Pokeball."

"You told me he caught something but didn't say what." Mei informed him excitedly. She always like hearing about his siblings, she had any of her own. Too much stress between her parents and her dad didn't live with them, let alone visit.

Christoph nodded enthusiastically. "So we spent a couple hours looking, we only found some flying and normal types. We were both ready to give up when a Roselia popped out of no where. I was so sure he wasn't keen on pretty-looking Pokemon but he stepped up really quick. I lent him my Patrat and they battled. Rylan has a dream to become champion one day."

"What about your sister? Elysia right?"

"Yup, Elysia. She's a big fan of Elesa, she likes how they have a name that sounds close. She wants to be a model and Gym Leader." Christoph seemed to enjoy talking about his brother and sister.

"I wish I could meet them, they sound great!" Mei grabbed her mug and took a drink. She shuddered from it at first but it helped to warm her a little.

Christoph grabbed her hand and held it on her lap. "How about after Christmas? Rylan wants to meet you too. Once I told him who you were, he got really excited. He kept talking about battling with you too."

"Really? Aw, now I really can't wait to meet him!" Mei squealed excitedly. Her head rested on his shoulder as the movie ended. "You wanna choose the next show?"

"Nah, Christmas stuff is fun. And now that I've said that, I did bring you something. Your mom too." He just remembered he brought things for them. "I hope you mother likes what I got her, I wasn't sure what to get for her exactly.

"Whaaaat about me?" Someone whispered in their ears. Both flinched and Mei accidentally kicked the coffee table. Both mugs tipped over, the warm liquid in them spilling everywhere. "Oh honey, you made a messy on the clean carpet."

"For Arceus' sake, it's me fault, when the heck did you get here?" Mei left Christoph's arms to pick up the mess. "You crawled through your window didn't you?"

A tall brunette woman stood up with a bit of a mischievous smile. "How am I supposed to know you're behaving yourselves without being sneaky?" She went to the kitchen to get some cleaning supplies. When she came back she handed them to her daughter then focused on the green-haired boy sitting on her couch. "Hmm, so you're the one named Curtis? Or was it Christoph?" Her lips curved up into a goofy smile. "Just joking, you're Christoph. It's very nice to meet you kiddo."

Mei finished scrubbing off the floor and went off to put away the supplies. Emiko bent over to whisper in his ear. "I actually went through the front door, you guys were to distracted with each other to notice. Although I won't deny crawling through windows before."

Christoph started laughing. Mei's mom was definitely one of the most interesting people he had ever met. "I'm not sure how to respond to that but it's pretty funny."

Mei poked her head out from the kitchen. "She's a doofus Christoph. I swear people only visit to listen to her." She had smile on her face and she came out holding a small box. "Thought I should grab this while I was in there, I've been hiding it." She handed the present to Christoph. "Mom, didn't you get him something too?"

"Yup! Give me a moment." She disappeared and reappeared with a bigger box. She sat on floor in front of the couch.

Christoph hopped to his feet and grabbed a bag he had brought to the house earlier. He sat again on the couch with Mei. He pulled out two things, a smaller package for Mei and a larger own for her mother.

"Okay." Emiko clapped her hands. "Exchange presents!" They handed off the presents to each other. "Alphabetical order, so our guest is first!"

"Open mine last." Mei told him.

He nodded and carefully unwrapped Emiko's present. Inside was a handmade Pikachu hoodie. With a grin he put it on. "Thank you Ms. Black. It's awesome, really warm and well-made!" There was a card inside as well. When he opened it a picture fell out. It was a picture of Mei in a Psyduck suit.

Emiko giggled and Mei blushed angrily. "Mooom, why?"

"Hey, it's pretty darn cute." Christoph examined the picture. She was even blushing in it. He focused once again on her present. He did the same careful unwrapping with her. Inside was a Pokeball.

"Call out who's in there." She said with a huge smile.

A Shinx came out with a yawn, blinking at them. "Shiiii." It looked around trying to figure out who it's trainer was. Finally it found it's way to Christoph's lap and licked his cheek. He started chuckling and held the Pokemon. "Wow, this is.. Amazing. Both of you."

Both of them had identical smiles on their faces. "Me next." Emiko exclaimed rather childishly. She opened hers and immediately began laughing. "Oh, I like this." She pulled out some jingling antlers and a red nose. She both on and pulled out some scented things. "I love this, good job!" She poked the nose and it started glowing.

Mei sighed when she opened hers. It was a pretty little box and when she opened it her entire face lit up. She pulled out a necklace with handcrafted charms. Each was a member of her team perfectly made. The last charm was M C. She blushed and moved some hair aside to put it on.

"I have a cousin that's great at making these things and I helped him make it sort of. I hope you guys like your presents. I wasn't sure what to get you Ms. Black, so I tried to go by what Mei's told me about you." Shinx tried to climb on his shoulder.

"Well it's adorable kid! I love what you got me." The nose started blinking. "Hehehe." Emiko got up and ran off somewhere.

"Oh, thanks Christoph. Your present is wonderful, I really love it." Mei was still touch it as it dangled from her neck. Her face was a little red still.

"I really happy you like it so much." He responded with a smile.

"It's not Christmas without some mistletoe." Emiko held it over their heads. Shinx hopped onto the back of the couch and tried to nip at the holly.

Christoph leaned forward. "Merry Christmas." He pressed his lips onto Mei's.


End file.
